Clergy representing the Greek Orthodox Church, Armenian Apostolic Church and Roman Catholic Church have taken a united decision and closed the Church of the Resurrection/Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem/Al-Quds to protest a decision by “Israeli” authorities to tax property owned by Christian churches in the city.

Authorities are attempting to implement new ordinances which would see the Christian churches lose their tax exempt status on property owned in the holy city and be responsible for tax liabilities to civic authorities in the same manner for-profit businesses.

Christian leaders have seen this as both an insult and as an attempt to extort churches who require funds from their locally owned properties to care for their ancient holy sites.

In a joint statement, Theophilos III, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Francesco Patton, the Custos of the Holy Land, and Nourhan Manougian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, said the following,

“We, the Heads of Churches in charge of the Holy Sepulchre and the Status Quo governing the various Christian Holy Sites in Jerusalem – the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate – are following with great concern the systematic campaign against the Churches and the Christian community in the Holy Land, in flagrant violation of the existing Status Quo.

Recently, this systematic and offensive campaign has reached an unprecedented level as the Jerusalem Municipality issued scandalous collection notices and orders of seizure of Church assets, properties and bank accounts for alleged debts of punitive municipal taxes. A step that is contrary to the historic position of the Churches within the Holy City of Jerusalem and their relationship with the civil authorities. These actions breach existing agreements and international obligations which guarantee the rights and the privileges of the Churches, in what seems as an attempt to weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem. The greatest victims in this are those impoverished families who will go without food and housing, as well as the children who will be unable to attend school.

The systematic campaign of abuse against Churches and Christians reaches now its peak as a discriminatory and racist bill that targets solely the properties of the Christian Community in the Holy Land is being promoted. This abhorrent bill is set to advance today in a meeting of a ministerial committee which if approved, would make the expropriation of the lands of Churches possible. This reminds us all of laws of a similar nature which were enacted against the Jews during dark periods in Europe.

This systematic and unprecedented attack against Christians in the Holy Land severely violates the most basic, ab antique and sovereign rights, trampling on the delicate fabric of relations between the Christian Community and the authorities for decades.

Therefore, and recalling the statement of the Patriarchs and Heads of Local Churches in Jerusalem, dated 14 February, 2018 and their previous statement of September 2017, as a measure of protest, we decided to take this unprecedented step of closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Together with all Heads of Churches in the Holy Land we stand united, firm and resolute in protecting our rights and our properties.

May the Holy Spirit answer our prayers and bring a resolution to this historic Crisis in our Holy City”.

While officials representing the Palestinian government have come out in full support of Christian clergy, there has been a deafening silence from Christians in the United States, who overwhelmingly support a secular Zionist regime that has met with protests from Muslims prohibited from visiting Haram esh-Sharif, Christians who are now threatened with monetary extortion and observant Jews who refuse to be conscripted into the “Israeli” military. Lebanon’s Christian President Michel Aoun has issued a statement of solidarity with Christian clergy in occupied Palestine saying,

“Israel’s decision is systematic targeting what’s left of the Christian presence in the Occupied Lands”.

The US narrative about the state of Christians in the holy land has been filled with appalling falsehoods. While many Evangelicals in the US contribute funds to the “Israeli” regime and other Zionist institutions, ancient Christian Churches in Jerusalem/Al-Quds are under attack from a militarised regime that has no sincere foundations in spiritual considerations. Anything less than the full support of all Christians for the statement by the Christian clerics in Jerusalem/Al-Quds ought to be seen as nothing less than a betrayal of Christians by so-called fellow Christians.